INSIDE THIS ISSUE Community Calendar ..................................B17-19 Covington Plaza ...............................A18, B14 &15 Discover Roanoke....................................... B6 & 7 Downtown Holiday Events .........................A10-16 Fall Happenings ..................................................B2
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November 7, 2014
Christmas tradition by the pound By Garth Snow
By Garth Snow
gsnow@kpcmedia.com
Church halls fill with members and visitors shopping for cookies of every kind. The cookies are shaped like bells or Santas. They taste of lemon or date. They’re covered with frosting or sugar. The cookie walks take on bakers and add new memories each generation, as they raise money for church charities and send homebaked goods on to other homes. Bakers from several local churches shared their stories with this newspaper. The weather was not kind to the Emmaus Women’s Guild Cookie Fair in 2013. The Emmaus Women’s Guild didn’t care. “Our principal said we’re putting in on unless it’s a Level 1 emergency,” Barb Kanning said that snowy Saturday morning. “We have hundreds of people who bake.” “After church services the two Sundays before, I stand by the door and nobody gets by me without
Church bells join lights to greet holiday season
FILE PHOTO
Jo Stinson, left, and Judi Ehrhardt browse the tables at the 2013 church and school cookie fair at Emmaus Lutheran Church, School and Preschool, 8626 Covington Road. This year’s sale is 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Dec. 13.
at least one pan or two pans, and then they brought them all in yesterday or last evening, except for a handful who were baking last night,” Kanning said that blustery morning. “The old faithfuls were here by 9 o’clock,” said her friend, Marian Hamilton. Those hundreds will be baking again in preparation for this year’s sale, 9 a.m.noon Saturday, Dec. 13. And to make last-minute
gift-giving even easier, the guild will supply free decorative tins that morning at 8626 Covington Road. Cookie sales and bazaars have been part of the Emmaus tradition since its founding on Broadway in Fort Wayne in 1900. This will mark the church’s eighth Christmas at its new home in Aboite Township. “We used to bring in cut-out cookies and spend a whole day frosting
cookies,” Kanning said. “Gorgeous decorated cut-outs. They went!” Kanning said interest in the cookie walk begins building weeks ahead of the actual sale. “I get emails from my old pals asking ‘when are the cookies?’ ” she said. Judi Ehrhardt and Jo Stinson, both of Fort Wayne, met while filling their carry-out containers See TRADITION, Page A5
gsnow@kpcmedia.com
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Downtown Fort Wayne will light up the holiday season on Thanksgiving Eve, and then church bells will ring in the season. The sounding of the bells is new this year, said Amita Homco, the Night of Lights event coordinator for the Downtown Improvement District. The collective sound follows the fireworks at Parkview Field. “It’s several churches — eight or nine churches — with First Presbyterian organizing the ringing of the bells,” Homco said. “The Night of Lights is a staple. It’s the biggest thing for us. We get 10,000-plus people downtown,” Homco said. “We get lots of people in Fort Wayne who want to make sure it’s going to be happening and just checking in, ‘When is the Night of Lights? When is Holly Trolley shopping?’ People are really excited about making time for their holiday tradition.” The Christmas wreath
at the University of Saint Francis Performing Arts Center, 431 W. Berry St., will be illuminated at 5:15 p.m., to the accompaniment of singers. Crowds also gather to see: Aunt Millie’s Northern Lights, Pearl Street; Santa and his Reindeer at PNC, Main and Calhoun streets; and Wells Fargo Holiday Display and Indiana Michigan Power Christmas wreath at Indiana Michigan Power Center, formerly known as One Summit Square. “It’s also a really nice night because the courthouse is open. You’re allowed to bring your camera and your phone in and take pictures inside the courthouse,” Homco said. “The lighting and having cocoa and walking around, the fireworks — that is probably the biggest holiday fest that we have. It really kicks off the season and gets us in the Christmas spirit.” That spirit continues in events that follow.
Holiday List: Page A10.
Fantasy of Lights ready to brighten Franke Park By Garth Snow gsnow@kpcmedia.com
FILE PHOTO
Clubs and individuals volunteer to welcome visitors to the Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park. Chris Palmer coordinates volunteers. Call her at 207-5769.
became interested in the annual light show about 15 years ago, before Linda’s retirement, and stepped up his involvement after his own retirement from Norfolk Southern railroad in 2008. “I set it up, take it down, maintain it, anything that has to be repaired I do that,” he said. “We couldn’t do it without him. We just couldn’t have the show,” said Chris Palmer, the director of volunteers for
AWS Foundation. “He’s done all the refurbishing.” Stuerzenberger, in turn, passed on a large share of the credit to Craig Schmidt, an AWS Foundation employee. Lynne Gilmore is the executive director of the AWS Foundation. “The event raises money to support grant-making, and it also brings awareness about disabilities,” she said. Gilmore said the event has grown tremendously since
Be sure to come early....the first 50 women will receive a special gift Refreshments & hors d’oeuvres
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About 15,000 visitors will begin arriving at the 20th annual Fantasy of Lights in Franke Park on Nov. 26. Dan Stuerzenberger has been working on the 32,000-bulb display for a month. Actually, he’s been helping to maintain the 71-feature display for 15 years. “We started this year, Oct. 8, bringing stuff onto the grounds,” the volunteer said. “It’s an everyday procedure. We work really closely with the [Allen County] Community Corrections. They help us set up the displays, and they’re just a really good group.” Stuerzenberger’s wife, Linda, is now retired from AWS Foundation, which sponsors and benefits from the Fantasy of Lights. Dan
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